Thy Kingdom Come
Jesus said in Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” It has been a joy to hear the men pray these words in the early morning prayer meetings. What are we praying when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”?
1. We are praying in the will of God.
In Luke 12:32, Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” I John 5:15 says, “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
2. We are praying for our personal and domestic rectifying of our priorities.
Matthew 6:33 tells us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness….” Read what it says in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
3. We are praying beyond and over the powers of this world.
In John 18, Jesus was being questioned by Pilate. Verse 36 says, “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world….” Paul again reminds us in I Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.”
Since this is indeed the case, what would make for fervent prayer?
1. A holy desire for God.
“Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” - John Wesley.
2. Regular daily communion.
I Thessalonians 5:17 advises us to “pray without ceasing.” As I meditated on this verse it occurred to me what happens when we don’t follow this admonition. We find the answer when we reverse the verse, i.e., “cease without praying.”
3. Don’t be ashamed to get physically involved with prayer.
Oft times we figure, “Well, God can read my thoughts; I’ll just sit, kneel, stand or walk and let Him pick my brain.” This is true – God has the ability and I often find myself in free meditation toward Him. However, if I feel the coldness of the world setting in and I can hardly discern the voice of my Master, I find great comfort in making as reverent posture as possible and praying out loud. This was often the custom of our Lord who, “…offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears” Hebrews 5:7. The brokenness of your contrite heart and the heat of your agonizing tears can melt down any iceberg in which you find yourself inundated.
- Pastor Pope -